The Yogins of Ladakh, A Pilgrimage Among the Hermits of the

Himalaya, the Journal of the
Association for Nepal and
Himalayan Studies
Volume 18
Number 1 Himalayan Research Bulletin: Solukhumbu
and the Sherpa, Part Two: Ladakh
Article 12
1998
Book review of 'The Yogins of Ladakh, A
Pilgrimage Among the Hermits of the Buddhist
Himalayas' by John Crook and James Low,
Kimber A. Haddix
University of California, Davis
Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya
Recommended Citation
Haddix, Kimber A. (1998) "Book review of 'The Yogins of Ladakh, A Pilgrimage Among the Hermits of the Buddhist Himalayas' by
John Crook and James Low,," Himalaya, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies: Vol. 18: No. 1, Article 12.
Available at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya/vol18/iss1/12
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Books, Reviews, Rejoinders
The Yogins of Ladakh, A Pilgrimage Among the Hermits of the Buddhist Hima laya s
John Crook and James Low; Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Ltd., 1997
When John Crook first entered Ladakh, his intention was to study local culture and history from the perspective of
social science and anthropology. But, as he states in an introductory passage, "walking at high altitudes and visiting
monasteries can open the mind to unusual experiences ." Those experiences compelled Crook to investigate the practices
of Tibetan Buddhists of Ladakh. In this volume he has written about the intersection of their world and the worlds of
visiting Buddhists in a engaging and highly experiential fashion, more completely and provocatively than in any of his
previous writings.
The book that resulted from the collaboration between Crook and co-author James Low documents their exploration
of the possibility that Buddhist principles, particularly as practiced by the reclusive hermits of the mountains of Ladakh,
reflect a theory of mind which is fundamentally different from Western theories of mind. One question that the authors
considered as they began their pilgrimage was whether this difference, if it existed, might be illuminating to thinkers
seeking wisdom from non-Western intellectual and religious traditions as we face an increasingly challenged, and
challenging, moral, ethical and environmental landscape.
To address this question Crook and Low went to investigate who yogins were, what they did in their meditation
caves, how they figured in local communities, whether they still practiced their remarkable yogas in modernizing Ladakh,
and if those yogas could be understood from a Western viewpoint . This took them on a physically and emotionally
fantastic journey through mountainous Ladakh, to remote monasteries and caves and to many places where Western
people had not been. Both investigators are accomplished Buddhist practitioners, both fluent in Tibetan, and both had
spent extended periods in Buddhist and non-Buddhist South Asia, including Ladakh.
The book is divided into three sections; Background, Travelogue, and Teaching and Practice . The Background section
explains the intellectual, religious and philosophical basis of the present investigation. This is developed personally
from the points of view of Crook and Low, as well as historically, in their discussion of the emergence of Buddhism in
Ladakh and the many influences upon Ladakhi Buddhism from Tibet and India. In the Travelogue section, Crook and
Low relate their many incredible adventures traveling and studying with some of the most learned and humble religious
men and women in the Tibetan world. In this section, descriptions of their experiences with these people and others who
help them traverse the forbidding landscape are at once touching, inspiring, and downright funny. The third and last
section, Teaching and Practice, is an illuminating exegesis on the basic teachings of the Buddha and on some of the more
complex practices including Madhyamaka, Mahamudra and Dzogchen . In addition, in this section the authors describe
some of the subtle and elusive differences between Drigungpa Kargyu, Drugpa Kargyu, and Gelugpa approaches to
teaching, practice and intellectual debate. Western Buddhists, inclined by our intellectual tradition toward Gelugpa
intellectualization of the principles of Buddhism rather than the Nyingmapa or Kargyudpa practice paths may find this
section especially useful in their understanding of Vajrayana Buddhist traditions. Toward the end of this section, Crooks
description of the time he spent practicing Chod in 120 cemeteries of Ladakh over several months is especially
remarkable, and marks what was perhaps one of the crowning moments in his personal quest to understand his
spirituality as a Buddhist in and outside the context of his citizenship in the modern industrialized world . The description
of this experience dovetails nicely with an earlier discussion of the ways in which Crooks intellectual background as a
scientist interact with his belief and training as a Buddhist.
At the end of the third section comes a translation of a previously unknown Mahamudra text by Khri. dPon Pad . Ma.
Chos . rOyal. This text was photographed by Crook in 1980 at the gompa of Urgyen Dzong. In an incident related
earlier in the book, Khamtag Rimpoche, a former student of Tipun Padma Chogyal (the texts author) encouraged Crook
to have a translation made so that the wisdom of his teacher might be made available for the benefit of Western
Budc!!:ists. The translation was prepared by Low with assistance from Chimed Rigdzin Rimpoche, and the insightful
commentary following each passage, written in collaboration by Crook and Low, will be helpf11l to all students of the
Mahamudra.
A dominant theme in the book relates to the difficulty the authors had in answering the questions originally proposed;
having to do with the nature of mind . The reification of mind that those raised in Western intellectual tradition are so
58
HIMALAYAN RESEARCH BULLETIN XVID: 1 1998
comfortable with was not an important component of the daily life and practice of the yogins encountered by the authors.
Thi s eventually became a cause of considerable concern to Crook and Low. A scene related in Chapter Ten, in which
Crook and Low attempt to tackle the "nature of mind" question head-on with two elderly yogin friends, is poignant and
in structive , and is perhaps the books most brilliant moment. Readers will recognize it when they get there.
Kimber A. Haddix, Department of Anthropology, University of California at Davis
. A Life Worth Remembering: Moran of Kathmandu
by Donald A. Messerschmidt; White Orchid Press, Bangkok, 1997
Originally published in The Kathmandu Post, June 28, 1998; reprinted with permission
Very few people are able to create possibilities and persevere for success in the face of unimaginable odds. Fewer
leave behind lasting legacies which future generations will remember and admire. And there are not many with the
diversity to be priest, teacher, radio operator, social worker, sports enthusiast and more, in one . Fr. Moran was endowed
with all these skills and abilities, and his is a life worth remembering and celebrating.
Donald A. Messerschmidt presents the biography (this could be called an "authorised" biography) of Fr. Marshall D.
Moran, SJ in his book Moran of Kathmandu, Priest, Educator and Ham Radio "Voice of the Himalayas ." In sixteen
chapters, the book tracks Fr. Moran's life as a child and student in Chicago, his early adulthood as a novice and junior in
Jesuit training schools, his journey to India and, ultimately, his adventures in Nepal. Fr. Moran's own views on events
at various stages of his life are published as "looking back". Also included are anecdotes of old friends, students and
fellow Jesuits who knew Moran . The book further provides some history of missionaries in Nepal over the centuries.
Fr. Moran first came to Nepal in 1949 to administer exams though Patna University, India, at Tri-Chandra College,
Kathmandu. It was at that time, during the reign of Mohan Shamsher, that he decided this was where he wanted to work.
There was then only one school in Kathmandu that catered to the upper class and royal household. Few had the courage
or interest to establish a modern school in Nepal. Moran had to wait patiently until the ousting of the Ranas to realise
this dream. On the afternoon of King Tribhuwan's return from self-exile in India on 15 February 1951, Marshall received
a telegram, "Come at once." This was indicative of the manner in which Fr. Moran operated . He knew people in high
places, sensed forthcoming opportunities and was prepared to take them up as they came.
Fr. Moran had many friends. He made friends as teacher, missionary and ham radio operator. They included royalty,
ambassadors, actors and actresses, astronauts, politicians and bureaucrats: people from all walks of life. He came to
know many Indian leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, both of whom he chauffeured in Bihar
during India's fight for independence. He talked to King Mahendra over his radio two times when the latter was travelling
abroad . He would also talk to the King of Jordan over his radio, and encountered other famous people of whom most of
us would only read about.
Most inspiring of Fr. Moran's accomplishments, however, is his establishment of several educational and social
institutes. Apart from his courage to travel through India on his own (in the 1930s and as a young Jesuit), one admires
also the number of institutions he helped set up and operate while there, and later in Nepal. These included the Country
School in Bettiah (1930s), St. Xavier's High School for Boys in Patna (1940), the Women's College in Patna (1940),
Holy Family Hospital in Patna (late 1940s), St. Xavier's Godavari School (1951), St. Xavier's High School, Jawalakhel
(1954), St. Mary's School for Girls, Jawalakhel, (1955) and the Tibetan Refugee Camp at Jawalakhel (1959-1960). For
Fr. Moran, nation-building was about providing disciplined education to young men and women, a true example of
investment in indigenous capability building . We oftentimes lament the state of Nepal's education and the products of
our educational system. Perhaps if more of our planners and educators were to internalise Fr. Moran's vision for the
country, we would make more progress.
Fr. Moran, as a Christian priest, had absolute respect for the non-Christian traditions of India and Nepal, which he
studied in depth . Fr. Moran shared Mahatma Gandhi's views on equality of religion and culture. In today's Nepal, these
messages of tolerance and equality are important.
Overall, this book is a worthy token of appreciation for the life and work of Fr. Moran. No book, however, could do
entire justice to his achievements . It is not an easy task to bring forth a character so diverse, so intense and driven to
achieve the high standards he set for himself. As a former student of Fr. Moran, I read these pages with full admiration
for its protagonist, his courage and accomplishments. Fr. Moran's life should inspire many others. This book is
recommended for all planners, educators and pioneers.
K. Pandey is an electrical engineer.
BOOKS, REVIEWS, REJOINDERS
59